Kazakhstan and MUI Discuss Religious Cooperation

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Fatwa Commission, Prof. Dr. KH. Asrorun Niam Sholeh, received a courtesy visit from the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Serzhan Abdykarimov. It took place at the MUI Central Office in Jakarta on Friday, September 25, 2026.

The meeting served as an important opportunity to discuss strengthening religious cooperation and fostering closer fraternal ties between the two countries. Prof. Niam was accompanied by MUI Chairman for Foreign Relations and Cooperation, Prof. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, member of the Fatwa Commission, and other MUI officials.

Meanwhile, the Kazakh Ambassador was accompanied by the Naib Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Mr. Yermek Mukatay, and Director of Halal Affairs, Mr. Aybek Askarbekuly.

Prof. Niam conveyed the meeting resulted in a strategic agreement to enhance cooperation in various religious fields. Both sides recognized the importance of strengthening synergy, given the strategic positions of the two countries within the Muslim world.

He noted, “Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, while Kazakhstan has the largest Muslim population in its region.

“Our religious traditions share many similarities, and the histories of the two countries are also interconnected through Islamic scholarly chains of transmission, particularly in the fields of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), hadith, and Sufism,” Prof. Niam said in Jakarta on Monday, September 28, 2026, as quoted from mui.or.id.

In addition to discussing stronger religious and cultural ties, the meeting also provided an opportunity to convey an international agenda.

The Kazakh Naib Mufti formally invited the MUI Executive Board to attend an international mufti meeting scheduled to take place next October.

Through this engagement, MUI hopes that bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Kazakhstan will continue to develop rapidly, particularly in the areas of halal product development, Islamic preaching (dakwah), education, and the promotion of a moderate understanding of Islam at the global level.